The Economist has posted an interview with Sidney Rittenberg, and this American guy is totally fascinating. He spent 12 years in prison in China for running afoul of the party during the Cultural Revolution. Before that he had been Mao’s translator and was around all the top communist party guys during their rise to power and was around for a lot of revolutionary stuff in Yan’an.
The interviewer asks him what he was thinking during his time in prison, especially knowing that he’d been on good terms with Mao before. His answer was that he thought he hadn’t been a good enough revolutionary and that if he could make them see that he really was a good revolutionary, they would let him out of prison.
He was the first American citizen to join the CCP (he’d been a communist party member in America before that too). He has since renounced Marxist-Leninism and makes lots of money consulting for big multinationals.
Also, he says the noticeable difference between Mao before and after the revolution was that before he’d been a humble listener, but once in power there was a fundamental change toward administration and away from listening.
Interesting points from the video:
- in China today, you can say anything you like, you just can’t write it down and publish it if it’s in conflict with the party line
- the other thing you can’t do is organize meetings or action to oppose the government
- he thinks there is still a great fear among not only the party but the common people that a great “holocaust” like the Cultural Revolution could happen again
Final interesting note: I wikipedia-ed this guy, and turns out he is a UNC alum! Studied philosophy and from Charleston originally. Also, during the Cultural Revolution, Rittenberg led political struggles at China Radio International.
Beijingology 